Honolulu Museum of Art

A collection reflective of location and a multicultural population

With paving stones cut from Chinese granite slabs, Hawaiian lava rock from Kaimuki and flagstones cut from Molokai, the architecture of the Honolulu Museum of Art is as much an installation featuring Hawaiian culture as it is the home to 4,500 works of art representing all of Hawaii’s cultures and 5,000 years of history.

What We Love:

You can stroll from gallery to gallery past open-air courtyards

Catch an independent film showing at the Doris Duke Theatre

Dine on fresh ingredients at the open-air café, complete with gardens, waterfall and sculptures

ARTafterDARK

As a marketing and promotional opportunity for local businesses and individuals in the community, the Honolulu Museum of Art’s 10 ARTafterDARK events held throughout the year also offer visitors a chance to mix art with nightlife, dance and live music. Grab food and drinks and be inspired with fun themes like What’s Your Sign?, Art Deco Hawaii and Posh.

SPALDING HOUSE

On permanent view at the museum’s second location is David Hockney’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges, an interpretation of the 1981 Metropolitan Opera production by Maurice Ravel. Visitors can explore the gallery-like atmosphere and rotating display of art as well as walk through sculpture-filled gardens overlooking Diamond Head and Honolulu.

SHANGRI LA

After a honeymoon in the Middle East and South Asia, American heiress, philanthropist and art collector Doris Duke hired an architect to help design a home that would bridge her love of Islamic art and architecture with Hawaii’s tropical landscape. When Duke passed away, her will dictated that her home – a retreat and sanctuary on five acres overlooking the Pacific – be open to the public as a place for study of Islamic art, which includes ceramics, metalwork, wood, glass, textiles and ethnographic objects.

“ If you are visiting between November and February, don’t miss Waimea Bay on the North Shore where the island’s top surfers take on 30-foot waves ”